Colorado SUMMER 2020 Explorer COLORADO EXPLORER 2020
Spend two magical weeks exploring the diverse terrain of Colorful
Colorado. In Rocky Mountain National Park, walk through fields
laden with blue and purple wildflowers. Near Salida, become familiar
with the alpine desert landscape while rock climbing and mountain
biking with the massive 14,000-foot peaks of the Sawatch Range
as your backdrop. Navigate the rapids in Browns Canyon on the Current grades Arkansas River, considered the best stretch of whitewater rafting 7th-8th in Colorado. Hike your way to unbeatable views on the 12,713-foot
Hallett Peak, and finish your trip with rafting on the Clear Creek Length River’s nonstop rollercoaster rapids! 13 DAYS
Beyond the first-day butterflies, Owen loved every minute of his trip. It wasn’t just fun for him to be in the outdoors Activities with a warm, playful, safe community, but it came as a relief. Free from the Backpacking Mountain biking Mountain summit constant pull of the internet and usual social tribulations that come with the age, he could just be a kid. About Rock climbing Whitewater rafting his peers, he said ‘They were so so so so nice.’” Kate Lilienthal, third-year parent from Singapore COLORADO EXPLORER 2020
ITINERARY
Day 1 Day 2 Days 3–6 ARRIVAL day hike BACKPACK IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN Fly or drive into Denver Students will split up into NATIONAL PARK International Airport (DEN) and smaller groups to explore Spend four days hiking in the Rocky meet your group and instructors! different trails in the eastern Mountains during peak wildflower season. Once all students and their part of Rocky Mountain (If you keep your eyes peeled, you may even luggage have arrived, we’ll drive National Park. Everyone will see bighorn sheep, mule deer, marmots, and up to Rocky Mountain National hike to a stunning alpine possibly even elk!) As you wind through Park, where we’ll have our lake, where we’ll eat lunch dense pine and aspen forests, past green- delicious “Yahoo!” dinner (chicken, and continue getting to blue alpine lakes, and beneath stunning steak, veggie burgers, cheesy know each other. ridgelines, you and your new friends will mashed potatoes, and fruit salad) play fun games like hide and seek and and spend our first night. “camouflage.” By the end of the four days, it’ll feel like you’ve been friends for years. » COLORADO EXPLORER 2020
Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 WHITEWATER RAFT THE ROCK CLIMB IN SALIDA MOUNTAIN BIKE IN SALIDA LOGISTICS AND TRAVEL ARKANSAS RIVER Transition from high meadow Blast down trails near the Laundry day! Students and Browns Canyon is considered one valleys and evergreen forests to Continental Divide, surrounded instructors will work together of the best sections of whitewater an alpine desert landscape that’s by aspen groves, grasslands, and to get laundry done, refresh rafting in the world. Exciting littered with dramatic 14,000-foot views of the breathtaking Sangre our food supply, and do a rapids carry you through a peaks. Tall granite domes await de Cristo mountain range. thorough van clean-up. Then riparian canyon (see if you can you in the “Heart of the Rockies.” Perfect for riders of all levels! we’ll head back north to Rocky catch a glimpse of bighorn sheep Learn the basics of climbing and Mountain National Park scrambling up the steep walls!). belaying, and challenge yourself There’s nothing more thrilling than on harder and harder routes as the bouncing down big drops with day goes on. your crew. » COLORADO EXPLORER 2020
Adventure Treks is SO WORTH IT!!!!!!! I was very nervous—not only is this an investment, but I also wanted her to love the outdoors like I do! And with teenagers you only get one shot. She was nervous she would be bored and homesick, but we took a leap. What’s been most valuable so far is her gaining confidence and independence. I believethe ability to get on a plane by herself, leave her tight circle of friends and electronics, and challenge herself physically and socially proved to herself she can do anything! This trip fostered a budding independence that Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 I think so many teenagers CLIMB HALLETT PEAK WHITEWATER RAFT THE DEPARTURE struggle with. With the Venture back into Rocky Mountain We promise you this: You won’t CLEAR CREEK RIVER nurturing guidance of her National Park, this time to hike up Hallett Experience a river that became want to leave! But it’ll be time for instructors she learned she Peak (12,324 feet), where the 360-degree famous for mining during our adventure to come to an end. can rely on herself. That views will leave you speechless. At the the Colorado Gold Rush! Relive every memory the night lesson is priceless. She said summit, you’ll feel like you’re walking on Continuous, action-packed before with a celebratory dinner, it was one of the best things top of the world; everywhere you look rapids will keep you laughing and exchange contact info with she has ever done and is are gorgeous mountains, including Longs as you rush down Clear Creek all of your new best friends so already planning next year’s Peak (the tallest mountain in the park surrounded by sheer cliffs and you can stay in touch. trip!” Natalie Partin, first-year at 14,259 feet), Flattop Mountain (12,362 tall peaks. parent from Cincinnati, OH feet), and several other 12,000- and 13,000-foot peaks. COLORADO EXPLORER 2020 TRAVEL INFO
Arrive and depart from Denver, CO
The Colorado trip pushed Evan physically and emotionally to try new activities, and he gained confidence in participating successfully while also having loads of laughs! DEN He now has an open mind *Please do not book to new adventures and Transportation to and from the adventure is the responsibility flights until your wants to challenge himself child has been further. He really loved of the family. Our instructors will be eagerly awaiting each of our officially accepted the whitewater rafting students’ arrivals at the Denver International Airport. We try our best to meet and enrolled on the and instructors, and he Colorado Explorer was taken with the beauty every student as they walk off the plane, but in the rare event we are unable trip. However, if of Colorado—he looks you’d like to look to, we will call your child to guide him/her to a meeting place. Students call forward to another trip! up flight options, home as soon as they meet with our instructors and gather their baggage. all students need Also, he is a very picky to arrive to DEN eater, but he said the food between 8 a.m. and was so much better than 1 p.m. the first day of he expected. Thank you!” the trip, and depart Nina Price, first-year Weather info DEN between 6 a.m. parent from Potomac, MD Summers in Colorado are generally very pleasant. At higher elevations, and 1 p.m. the last you’ll likely experience temperatures in the upper 60s and 70s, while day of the trip. at lower elevations it can climb into the 80s. You may still see snow on mountaintops in June, while in July and August there may be a few afternoon thunderstorms. Our packing list will prepare you for every possible scenario to keep you comfortable, warm, and dry no matter the conditions! COLORADO EXPLORER 2020 Logistics DATES 6/23/20 - 7/05/20 7/11/20 - 7/23/20 7/29/20 - 8/10/20
PRICE $3,495
Included in tuition: » All food and lodging
» All group and technical equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, backpacking pack, mess kit, etc.)
» Guided activities
Not Included in tuition: » Trip insurance
» Airfare to and from
» Personal clothing and items (see the Colorado Explorer It’s amazing to see what our children can do and accomplish when we set them free in a safe but challenging environment. packing list) Being disconnected from technology allowed our child to discover new friendships. At the halfway mark when I received a phone call from him, I asked what he liked most about the trip. His response: ‘When you’re with this group of kids it’s an equal playing field. No one cares about whether you’re popular or not or where you came from—they just want to get to know you for who you are.’ Very profound for a 14-year-old! Thank you for giving the kids amazing guidance and looking out for their safety while also making even the tough moments laughable moments.” – Renee Hughes, first-year parent from Fairfield, CT COLORADO EXPLORER 2020
Ready to sign up? There are three ways:
» Apply online at adventuretreks.com/enroll » Call us at 888-954-5555 » Or email Amanda Fox-McGlashan, our marketing director, at [email protected]
PO Box 1321 Flat Rock, NC 28731 [email protected]